Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Alaska bound !

The coal has arrived and the boys are busy bagging it all for delivery . 


The driver was right ,  it is good looking coal .. 


 The next delivery will be next Monday .. we have the first $100 in for this , so we are looking for another $575.  


On a fun note, Julie and I are over night in Paris right now.  Last night, Kyrgyzstan changed there airport code from FRU to BSZ .. which happens to be the  code  of  Bartletts Alaska ... So flights have all been re routed to Alaska .. so let's see where we end up tonight Hahahaha... OH the wonders of world travel 

Sunday, August 10, 2025

When is a load of coal more then a load of coal ?


Julie and I are on the long road to Kyrgyzstan .. starting with the milk run bus to the airport then on to  Kyrgyzstan .. then over night in Paris and then on through Turkey .. we will not arrive until  Wednesday ... this route is $700 each cheaper then the regular route.  enough for a couple loads of coal.   Speaking of coal , We had ordered the coal for delivery tomorrow.  we knew it was going to be the good coal so we ordered a second load, even though I was short the $475 needed .  I went ahead and set up the transfer and said to Julie, I am believing the before church is over this morning the funds will be in our account.   I really needed this .. When is coal more then just coal ? When something like coal can not only bless a family but when coal is a sign from God that he is Before us , He is With us and he follows us.   For someone in need , we are the answer .. like a load of coal I will share some things going on with us besides just the coal , and if I remember I will finish this story at the end of this post. 

I got an urgent call for help yester day , actually a couple .  There is a shepherd who is a "Brother" who lost his home in a fire a couple nights ago.  We have been asked to help him get something together before winter.  I will look into this as soon as we get there and hopefully by then this will have impressed on some of you to help so that we can do something .  For this Brother , we may be his load of coal !
   
When this came in I was a little bit distracted.  We had been waiting on a call for my mother to get into a nursing home .. My brother is just out of the hospital so caring for mom is difficult for him, But time had run out so Friday I flew with Mom up to Thunder bay, rent a car and drive her to his home then return back home .  on the way up, the young guy in the seat in our row buckled over and gasped to me " I am having a heart attack !"  that brought some distraction as we called for a dr. on board and were able to get him so care, oxygen and a deliberator.  Before his episode we had talked a bit, but I don't always tell all when I share about what I do for a living ..  As I sat across from him contemplating ,  I started to feel convicted .. He needed to know that I had sent out a call to our prayer group , so when he started to come around , I went back to him and told him that I was actually a missionary and that If he wanted I would be praying for him ..    

The conviction for me was that sometimes the answer that people may need when calling on God is us !  at this moment we were able to bring peace and be his load of coal ! 

I then got a text from Acel.  their family has been having a difficult time with proper school for their kids .. She went with Kamala when Kamala was registering her girls that were just sponsored , she saw the school and called me and said , is there any way that she could have this for her girls too.  I fully agree that this would be the best for them .. that is another $5000 for the year!  That is a BIG load of coal!
 
After receiving these requests for help, I dropped Mom off at my brothers .. and was driving along singing   "I sought the Lord and He heard and he answered "  with that the car app began to read a message to me .. It was from my brother " They just called and mom has a bed next week "  I pulled over and called the home and managed to get through to the intake coordinator and do the intake over the phone.  She emailed all the necessary documents to me so I could sign them and send them into the home before I left for Kyrgyzstan ( ALL 180 PAGES) , I called my sister and the airlines and arranged for her to go back up and pick mom up next week and bring her to the home. 
Mom always said , Think of three good things .. so here goes 
1. Don gets to have one moor week with Mom before she goes into care.         2. Kim gets to be a vital part in the care for mom.  3. I was able to do all the paper work before leaving , and I had always said it would be best for mom and I if I was not the one to bring her to the home .. 

Oh did I mention that the water had stopped at my house .. so in the middle of this a good friend came over and we went down into the old dug well and found that it was as simple as a defective check valve and we were back in business .. but was not a needed stressor.  

So that led to this morning , we were all packed , everything looked after , except for the fact that I still needed $475 in the bank  for my  load of coal ..
 The pastor even made mention about "I sought the Lord and He heard and he answered."  with that my phone vibrated.. I am still on high alert with Mom so I looked at the phone and saw a message " I John , I am sending the money direct to your account in a few Minutes.... 
That was my load of coal .. it was the final stressor being lifted .. I sought the Lord , and He DID hear and he Did answer , and He clearly reminded me that He is before me, He is with me and he does follow after me ... So when is a load of coal more then a load of coal ?  Its when it is a reminder that we are in Gods hands ... I have been on the verge of a good cry today as the pressures of life are lifting ... I fully understand when I see people we are helping break down when they receive their load of coal ... because a load of coal is often MORE then a load of coal  










 

Wednesday, August 06, 2025

Camp Days and hiccup with the coal!

Its a beautiful day at the lake for the boys from the farm and a few from the village 

They have a great place to camp right on the beach 








 


Mean while back on the farm Olivtena is holding down the fort.


Out in the village Vera's summer camp is in full swing for the week .  The kids there are having a great time and wanted me to say thank you to all of you who made this possible . 









We had a snag with the coal. 


The coal that we were going to get before the boys went to the lake turned out to be not as good as we would like.  There is a train of really good coal coming in next week, so they have ordered 2 loads of that coal for Monday morning.  I don't like to order coal unless I have money in hand, but it might be a while before more good coal comes in so we have had to move forward with this.   They have the funds there for the first load, and I have $200 in towards the second load, so we just need $475 by Monday .  If you can help with this that would be awesome .   

Sunday, August 03, 2025

35 years and still smiling !😁


What a journey this has been, but we have our new passports so I guess we are ready to continue .  

 Our bags are almost packed , just a few more little adjustments.     Everything  gets so complicated in this day and age of travel ... We have a personal , a carry on, no weight limit just the size limit and between us ONE checked bag weight 23 kg.  That is from Toronto to Paris .. then from Paris we have one personal 4kg one carry on 8 kg and between us we have ONE checked bag 15kg.  so here is how we are going to deal with this .. We will be flying home through Paris and spending some time on the Camino with friends / sponsors meeting us there .  Since we are staying a night at the same hotel on the way back, we can pack 13 kg bag to be held at the hotel for us for the walk , then move stuff from our carry on to the checked bag to balance out the new weight restrictions .  fortunately we have a teem coming in September so we are able to pack a couple bags for them to bring as well. 

Here is a short fall update video from us . 


When I got up this morning I got this short video from one of the boys we are sponsoring .. I might add that it was totally unsolicited .   Please note that when he says John he means ALL of you ... I am just the face he knows .






Friday, August 01, 2025

Bumping up the coal schedule.

The girls had such a great time at camp on Lake Isykool a couple weeks ago.  there are a few other comps going on this week that we have been blessed to help with like Vera's summer camp and Andrei's orphanage up in Karakool.   

We had to postpone the trip for the guys on the farm a couple weeks , there was to much pressing work on the farm.  they will be going on Monday .. But here is the thing , we have started scheduling truck loads of coal on Mondays that need to be bagged and put into the barn. 




The Boys got to work right away with the last load and bagged it right away and have asked if they can get Mondays load early so that they can get it bagged before they go. 
But here is the thing ... we just need $100 more to be able to purchase this next truck .. if you can help with this please use the donate button on the top right side of the blog . 

Here is what $100 worth of coal looks like, this photo was taken last fall with a very happy and relieved family . 


 

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

The Power of the Tongue !

For the last couple of months I have found myself thinking some discouraging thoughts and was about to speak it .. or at least write it, but yesterday I listened to a message that brought correction to this way of thinking... So let me share a bit more  

This last season has been a very difficult one for us , maneuvering through new banking requirements in Canada and some added expenses at the farm.. registering as a "Fund" in Kyrgyzstan which required us to purchase the boys house and green houses rather then renting them,   unexpected major renovations at the boys house, New roof on the apartment  , and many other unexpected expenses.  Our sponsors have been great and every need has been met, but it just feels like I have been asking a lot!   Funds came in quickly for the summer camps . but seemed to stall out when we started against the deadline for the Scholarships .. Knowing that the coal drive was rapidly approaching I was getting discouraged .. I started to think that maybe this year we would back out from the coal deliveries  .  That is always such a huge expense .. upward $30 000.     

By this time last year we had already purchased about $8000 worth of coal.. this year the barn is empty.  

I want to take a moment to speak some LIFE into this . 

Coal deliveries save lives ;

Especially for those who are older or have had unexpected health issues. Winter is harsh.  I have seen over and over people simply break down in tears when we arrive with coal . 

Coal  bring HOPE ; 

We don't bring enough coal for the whole winter, but enough to give people HOPE, this is often the encouragement that people need to know that they can make it .  faith is the substance of things hoped for !

Coal gives us reason ;

The coal deliveries give us reason to visit and bring encouragement to those who are alone .. we are able to do follow-up through out the winter to make sure people are ok.  This creates a trust and a friendship so that when people are in trouble they know that they can reach out to us .   

Coal deliveries elevate our standing in the community ;

Smaller remote villages can be a difficult place to live and work , people can be closed off and feel protective.  By providing something as important as coal there is a trust in the village built up , and that goes a long way when there are other issues that we may face . 

Coal deliveries teach the boys the power of giving :

Through the deliveries the boys see first hand the struggles that people face around them , and learn to have open and caring hearts to reach out to the world around them , teaching them one of the greatest life skills they can have . 


These are just a few quick reasons why these coal deliveries are so important , but I guess the most important reason is because God has given us this assignment.    and that should be reason enough that we move forward. 



This was part of the word I shared last Sunday,  It was given to us many years ago in a message from Pastor Shawn Baker when we started the Farm, and has continued to encourage us on this journey 

I was reminded about this truth when after the service people came back to our table and things got crazy .. God called in the resources and 80% of the tuitions were covered. 

This not only has encouraged and brought some of our kids to tears of joy and relief, but it has cleared the fog from my own mind and given me a fresh recognition God will start calling in the finances to begin purchasing coal.    So YES the coal deliveries are back on . 

We still have about $1300 to go in scholarships to go but We are  not going to dwell on that , We are going to move forward .. What an exciting time this is for us to wait and watch the miracles  as God speaks to individuals and begins to call in those finances .. and the greatest part is that you can be a part of this blessing .  $80 is enough for one family , and $1000 is enough to purchase a full truck load . 


Coal being delivered in bulk to the farm to be bagged and delivered to those in need  

The boys bagging coal  .. almost 15000 bags last year and they are still smiling  

Luke services International is one of our biggest supporters with the coal .  That's why we are thrilled to emboss the bags with their Logo .. If you or your organization would like to sponsor a truck I would gladly send you a photo with your initials or Logo on some bags being delivered ! This helps people see that their funds have made it to where they were designated.  



 I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered Me , and has delivered me from my fears!



Sunday, July 20, 2025

Blessed


We were so blessed today at NPC. I had shared about our scholarship fund and after the service we were overwhelmed with the people coming to our table and blessing the fund.  We are in striking range now ..  we still have another week to get funds in to take with us.


 

Friday, July 18, 2025

That's why I trust Him

 We are getting down to the wire as we prepare to head back to Kyrgyzstan .  This Sunday at 10:00 am Julie and I will be sharing at the Norwood Pentecostal church, then Next Sunday we will be sharing at Calvary Pentecostal church in Lindsay . 



Then we have just one week to get packed before heading back to Kyrgyzstan.  We will arrive just in time to make the rounds to pay the tuitions .  That is of course if the tuitions arrive .. we could use your help with this .  Donations will take about a week to get through the banks so we need to get donations in before the end of the month.   

"That's why I trust Him"



I sought the Lord and He heard and He answeredI sought the Lord and He heard and He answeredI sought the Lord and He heard and He answeredThat's why I trust Him, that's why I trust HimI sought the Lord and He heard and He answeredI sought the Lord and He heard and He answeredI sought the Lord and He heard and He answeredThat's why I trust Him, that's why I trust HimI sought the Lord and He heard and He answeredI sought the Lord and He heard and He answeredI sought the Lord and He heard and He answeredThat's why I trust Him, that's why I trust HimI sought the Lord and He heard and He answeredI sought the Lord and He heard and He answeredI sought the Lord and He heard and He answeredThat's why I trust Him


Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Camp update

Vera just had an amazing day giving out the Samaritans purse boxes .  There were 500 kids at this event, and Vera and her team did an amazing job.



We also got a report from the extreme camp.  Everyone had so much fun and appreciate all the suport.  


Back on the farm they are taking advantage of the hot dry days to dehydrate some apricots for the winter months 







At the guest house they are repairing some of the walls on the Banya that needed to be patched up before winter. 


Our scholarship fund sits at $1500 right now.  I have a couple more weeks before we will need to have $10 000 to cover the tuitions of those we have committed to help If you would like to help out, please use the link on the top right side of the blog.